HMNZS Charles Upham

History
Civilian service
Name	Mercandian Queen II (1984–1992, 1992–1994) Continental Queen II (1992) Sealift (1994–1995) Don Carlos (1998–2007) Don Carlos II (2007–2009) Nusantara Sejati (2009–present)
Owner	Mercandia (1984–1994) Government of New Zealand (1994–1995) Contenemar SA (2001–2009) PT Pelayaran Putra Sejati (2009–present)
Builder	Frederikshavns Vft, Frederikshavn
Yard number	407
Launched	16 December 1983
Completed	6 April 1984
Identification	IMO number: 8131128
Status	Active as of 2009
History
New Zealand
Name	HMNZS Charles Upham
Namesake	Charles Upham
Acquired	16 December 1994
Commissioned	18 October 1995
Decommissioned	July 2001
Nickname(s)	"Charles Chuckam" "Chuck-Up" "The Calliope South Windbreak"
Fate	Sold back into civilian service
General characteristics
Class and type	Mercardian 2-in-1 class roll-on/roll-off vessel
Displacement	7,995 tonnes (7,869 long tons; 8,813 short tons) light 10,500 tonnes (10,300 long tons; 11,600 short tons) full load
Length	131.7 metres (432 ft)
Beam	21.1 metres (69 ft)
Draught	6.2 metres (20 ft)
Ramps	1 stern ramp, 1 starboard ramp
Propulsion	1 × MaK M 453AK diesel motor, 4,890 horsepower (3,650 kW), 1 × controllable-pitch propeller 1 × bow thruster
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Range	7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity	Up to 7,000 tonnes (6,900 long tons; 7,700 short tons) of cargo (civilian service)
Complement	17 (civilian service) 8 officers, 24 sailors (military service)
Sensors and processing systems	2 × I-band navigational radars
Electronic warfare & decoys	2 × SRBOC Mark 36 launchers (military service)
Armament	4 × 12.7-millimetre (0.50 in) machine guns (military service)

HMNZS Charles Upham (A02) was a Mercandian 2-in-1 class roll-on/roll-off vessel operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) between 1994 and 2001. The vessel was built for the Danish shipping company Mercandia during the early 1980s, and operated under the names Mercandian Queen II and Continental Queen II. The New Zealand Defence Force had identified the need for a logistic support ship as early as the 1970s but it was not until the 1991 white paper that planning to acquire a ship commenced in earnest. Mercandian Queen II was for sale around that time, and although not as capable as the RNZN had initially specified, was purchased in 1994.

The ship arrived in New Zealand in 1995 under the name Sealift, and was commissioned later that year as HMNZS Charles Upham, after the only combat soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice, Captain Charles Upham. After some modification, the ship made two voyages to test her capabilities and determine what further work was required to make her fully operational. Significant problems with stability and seakeeping were encountered during the second voyage, and the ship was removed from service on her return. The cost of fixing the stability problems and fitting Charles Upham out for troop and vehicle transport was prohibitive, and the work was postponed. In the meantime, the ship was chartered to Spanish company Contenemar SA in 1998 and used to transport citrus fruit around the Mediterranean.

By 2001, the New Zealand government had decided that Charles Upham was unusable and should be sold. The ship was sold to Contenemar (who operated her under the name Don Carlos, then Don Carlos II), then converted into a vehicle carrier and onsold in 2009 to Indonesian company PT Pelayaran Putra Sejati (operating as Nusantara Sejati). In the meantime, the RNZN sought to acquire a new logistic vessel, with HMNZS Canterbury entering service in 2007.